Cab coupling



2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

H. E. MARCHA'ND.

(No Model.)

GAR COUPLING.

No. 366,851. Patented July 19, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. E. MARGHAND.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 366,851. Patented July 19, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY E. MAROHAND, OF NE? YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,851, dated July 19,1887.

Application filed May 14, 1887. Serial No. 238,244. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. MARcnAND, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a car-coupling in which eachdraw-head will be provided with a link, a coupling-pin, and a dog forsupporting said pin when raised and adapted to interlock with it whenlowered, whereby the link attached to either draw-head can be idle whilethe other is in active use, the idle link being secured fromsurreptitious removal, and one pin being locked while the other is freeto move, so that mistakes in uncoupling will be prevented.

My invention consists in the novel features of construction andcombinations of devices, hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure l is avertical longitudinal section of two connected draw-heads, showing myimprovements in a car-coupling, whereby one coupling-pin can be lockedin engagement with the link and the other left free to be withdrawn touncouple the cars. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of one of my improveddrawheads with coupling devices. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the same, showing the coupling-pin supported in an elevatedposition ready for dropping into engagement with the link attached tothe opposite drawhead, and showing also a spare or idle link restinginactive in the bottom of the drawhead. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionof my improved draw-head. Fig. 5 represents a vertical crosssection ofthe draw-head, illustrating the manner of disconnecting the pin afterthe spring in the head of the pin has been detached. Fig. 6 isaperspective view of an automatically-sliding dog adapted to support thecoupling-pin in an elevated position or to lock it in engagement withthe link.

The numeral 1 designates a draw-head of the usual external form. In thetop of the draw-head, near its mouth, is an opening, 2, and in thedraw-head bottom is an opening, 3, in line with the upper opening, butslightly These openings 2 and 3 afford a verlarger.

tical passage for the coupling-pin I, which is inserted or removed, asrequired, through the lower draw-head opening, 3, as shown in Fig. 5,and'when in place is secured by a springring, 5, having lugs 6, thatenter an opening, 7, in the upper end of the pin. This ring 5 serves asa means for raising the pin 4, either by attaching a chain, cord, orlever to the ring, or otherwise, and it also acts as astop to preventthe pin at from falling through the draw-head when lowered, as shown inFig. 2. Near the lower end of the pin 4, on each side, is a trans verserib or projection, 8. These ribs or projections do not interfere withthe passage of the pin through the lower draw-head opening, 3, which iscomparatively wide; but when the pin is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, therib 8 will come in contact with the top of the draw-head beneath thelateral edges of the narrow upper opening, 2, and so prevent the pinfrom being entirely withdrawn in that direction. It will therefore beseen that the coupling-pin 4 can only be inserted or removed through thelower opening, 3. After the pin has been inserted and the spring-ring 5connected therewith, said pin cannot be removed without firstdisconnecting the ring, for which purpose a suitably prying-instrumentwill be required. It is therefore obvious that the pin 4 cannot beeasily stolen or lost.

In each side of the draw-head is an inclined guide-slot, 9, for engagingan automaticallysliding dog, 10, which is adapted to act as a supportfor the raised pin or as a lock for the lowered pin. The preferred formof the dog 10 is shown in Fig. 6. It consists of an approximatelyTshaped block, comprising lat eral arms 11, to engage the guide-slots 9,a depending central arm, 12, against which the entering link impinges,and a hooked central upper portion or arm, 13, which forms a support ora lock for the coupling-pin, according to the position of the latter. Ifdesired, the upper surfaces of the arms 11 may be provided withstrengthening-ribs 14; but these are not essential. The arms 11 areinclined upward from front to rear, to correspond with the inclinationof the diagonal guide-slots 9, whereby the dog 10 has an up-and-downmovement, as well as a movement forward and back. It will be seen alsothat the arms 11 are rounded or concaved laterally, to afford ample roomof the dog 10, which rests at the lower ends of the guide-slots 9. Thepin 4 is thus easily and securely supported in an elevated position,ready to drop into engagement with the link carried by an approachingdraw-head.

l The entering link by striking against the depending arm 12 forces thedog 10 backward and up the inclined guideslots 9, thus releasing the pin4, which consequently falls into engagement with the link. In the bottomof each draw-head, near the center, is a lug, 16, that forms an abutmentfor the rear end of the projecting link before it enters the oppositedraw-head. On each side of this abutment is sufficient space toaccommodate a spare or idle link, as shown in the left of Fig. 1, andalso in Figs. 3 and 4.

In the rear face of the coupling-pin 4 is a notch or recess, 17, adaptedto receive the hooked end 13 of the dog 10, as shown in the right ofFig. 1, when it is desired to lock the coupling-pin so as to prevent itfrom being raised out of engagement with the link.

Each draw-head is provided with a link, which, when not in use, isplaced wholly within the draw-head, with one end resting behind the lip18, formed in the bottom of the drawhead mouth. The link is first placedin the draw-head, so as to rest flat behind the lip 18. The dog 10 isthen inserted through the draw head mouth and engaged with theguide-slots 9, and then the pin 4 is inserted from below through theopenings 3 and 2 and the springring 5 attached to its head. It will nowbe seen that the pin 4, dog 10, and lug 16 occupy such positions withrelation to the link that, whether the coupling-pin be raised orlowered, it will be impossible to withdraw the link enti rely from thedraw-head without first disconnecting the ring 5 and then removing thepin 4 and dog 10. As before remarked, the springring 5 cannot bedetached without employing a suitable instrument to pry or spring thelugs 6 out of the opening 7 in the head of the coup ling-pin. It willtherefore be secnthat the link cannot be easily stolen.

When it is desired to couple two cars, the pin 4 in one draw-head islowered, so that the hooked arm or lug 13 of the dog 10 will engage therecess 17 and prevent the pin from being raised, after which the link inthat drawhead will be drawn forward until itsrcar end is brought infront of the lug 16, against which it abuts. In the opposite draw-headof the other'car the dog 10 will be pushed slightly back and the pin 4raised and supported by the engagement of the lug 13 and shoulder 15, asshown in Fig. 3. As the cars come together the entering link will forcethe dog 10 back, thus releasing the pin 4 and allowing it to drop intoengagement with the link. It

will thus be seen that theactive link is engaged with the pin 4 in onedraw-head and with the dog 10 in the other draw-head. It will also beseen that one of the pins is, locked in secure engagementwith the dog10, so that it cannot be raised without first disengaging the dog, whilethe other pin is free to be raised for uncoupling the cars. The lockedpin is the one attached to the draw-head that carries the active link,and the unlocked pin is the one attached to the draw-head that carriesthe idle link. In uncoupling it is impossible for the brakeman orattendant to make a mistake, as only one of these pins will respond toefforts to raise it. i

Should the active link become broken, it can. be removed and the idlelink brought at once into use by simply raising its forward end anddrawing it partly out of the drawhead.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim isinserted into orremoved from said draw-head only through an opening in the draw-head bottom, a detachable stop secured to the upper end of the pin, a link, andan automaticallysliding dog adapted to serve as a support for the raisedpin and as a lock for the link and lowered pin, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having inclinedguide-slots in its sides and openings in its top and bottom, ashouldered couplingpin capable of being inserted into or removed fromsaid draw-head only through the opening in the bottom of the draw-head,a detachable stop secured to the upper end of said pin, a link, and asliding dog having arms to engage the slots or openings in the sides andbottom of the draw-head, said dog being adapted to serve as a supportfor the raised pin and as alock for the link and lowered pin,substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with a draw-head havingguide-slots 9 and coupling-pin 4, provided with shoulder 15 and notch17, of the sliding dog 10, having arms 11 and hooked lug 13,substantially as described.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head having lug 16 andlip '18, a coupling-pin capable of being inserted into said draw-headonly through an opening in its bottom, a spring-ring, 5, detachablysecured to the head of said pin, and a sliding dog, 10, adapted tosupport the raised pin to interlock with the lowered pin and to preventthe removal of the link from the draw-head, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

H. E. MAROHAND.

